November 29

Syrian Refugees Advocacy : Take Action Now

Posted by on November 29, 2015 in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

 

Refugees

Refugees

Do you have 10 minutes?

Then you have time to help us take in more Syrian refugees.

  • This week, fax in a letter!
    1. If you live in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, or Virginia, your Senate Senators are listed below. To look up Senators from another state, visit http://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/.
    2. To find your House Representatives, visit http://www.house.gov/ and put in your zipcode in the top right of the page next to the map.
    3. Write in your representative name and your contact information in the letter below. Write neatly!
    4. Fax in one copy of the letter to each of your state Senators and House of representatives.
  • Get the word out!
    1. Post on FB/Twitter: MONDAY (11/30) call ur Congressional rep 12-2 pm & ask them to do MORE to help refugees #RefugeesWelcome
  • Next week, make a few calls!
    1. On Monday, November 30th between noon and 2 p.m., call your Congressional Representatives and read the very short phone script below. The Senate will soon be voting on a bill about refugees, so PLEASE make sure to call on Monday.

 

New Jersey

 

Senator Cory Booker (D)

Tel.: (973) 639-8700
Fax: (973) 639-8723

 

Senator Robert Menendez (D)

Tel.: 973.645.3030
Fax: 973.645.0502

 New York

 

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D)

Tel. (518) 431-0120
Fax (518) 431-0128

 

Senator Chuck Schumer (D)

Tel.: (518) 431-4070
Fax:  (518) 431-4076
Virginia

 

Senator Tim Kaine (D)

Tel.: (540) 682-5693

Fax: (540) 682-5697

 

Senator Mark Warner (D)

Tel.: (540) 857-2676

Fax: (540) 857-2800

 Maryland
Senator Ben Cardin (D)Tel: (301) 762-2974
Fax: (301) 762-2976

 

Senator Barbara Mikulski (D)

Tel.: (410) 263-1805
Fax: (410) 263-5949

 

 

PHONE SCRIPT

 

Hello,

 

My name is _________ and I’m a registered voter in _______ county.

I am calling in to say that it’s embarrassing that we have taken in so few Syrian refugees to date and that the House recently voted to make it even harder to take in more refugees.

I’m calling to ask:

  • that you reject and block any anti-refugee initiatives like the one the House passed; and
  • that you advocate for our great nation accept 100,000 Syrian refugees over the next year.

As an American and your constituent, I demand we do more, not less.

This isn’t about how many people we are going to let into our borders, it’s about not letting people die on our watch.

 

Thank you.

Syrian Refugees Letter

Dear                                       ,

 

I’m writing to share a few important numbers with you, with the hopes of persuading you that the US should accept many more refugees from Syria, not far fewer. This is a tragedy that spans years and millions of people.

  • 6,500,000+ Syrians thought to be internally displaced within the country
  • 3,000,000+ Syrian refugees taken in by just 5 nations: Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq & Egypt
  • 680,000+ Syrian refugees have arrived in Europe seeking asylum
  • 100,000+ Syrian fatalities during this civil war
  • 30,000 Syrian refugees will be taken in by France, even after the tragic attacks in Paris.
  • 25,000 Syrian refugees will be taken in by Canada over the next few months
  • < 2500 Syrian refugees have arrived in the United States since fiscal year 2011
  • 0 Syrian refugees found to have played a part in the attacks in Paris
  • 0 refugees admitted to America since 9/11 have been arrested for domestic terrorism

 

Despite knowing these numbers and knowing that the refugees are undertaking dangerous journeys to flee and will encounter even more hardships in the coming winter months, on November 19, 2015, by a vote of 289-137, the House passed a bill that would make the screening process for Syrian and Iraqi refugees even stricter.

 

To be clear, the current screening protocols take, on average, 18 to 24 months, and involve:

  • vetting by the multiple federal agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security, the Defense Department, and the National Counterterrorism Center;
  • collection of biographical and biometric information; and
  • in-person interviews.

 

It’s one of the most rigorous screening processes in the world and one we’re trying to make even harder just as the refugees most need our help.

 

Rather than trying to raise the standard for screening, perhaps we should focus on raising the bar for what it means to be human and show humanity towards those who are fleeing abject poverty, war, and devastation.

 

Just as we are approaching the holiday season focused on thankfulness, counting our blessings, and reinforcing our core values of brotherhood, charity, and compassion, we, as a nation, are moving towards becoming more hateful, tight-fisted, and fearful. There have been calls to take in only Christian refugees, ban refugees from countries with an ISIS presence, and exclude male refugees from resettlement programs. Is this what America has become?

 

No matter what our faiths, ethnicities, or political ideologies, we all know there is a moral obligation to do more and to do better.

 

As an American and your constituent, I demand we reclaim our humanity and do more, not less.

 

  1. Vote Against the Anti-Refugee Bill. The Senate is expected to vote on the anti-refugee bill the week after Thanksgiving. I urge you to reject and block this bill.

 

  1. Accept more refugees in the U.S. It’s a national embarrassment that as one of the most affluent nations in the world, we are near the bottom of the list in how many refugees we are willing to take in. We need to accept 100,000 refugees over the course of the next year.

 

  1. Urge European countries to accept more refugees. We need to advocate for our allies to take in more refugees, but as leaders, we have to lead by example.

 

  1. Urge a unified, collaborative, and coordinated global response. We need all nations to step up. Not only should the US take on 100,000 refugees over the next year, it should commit to providing greater support for UNHCR and other organizations to facilitate resettlement, reunite families, and channel money and supplies to support existing refugee camps. We must reassure our Western allies that we are committed to providing meaningful support for them so that they are willing to take in more refugees.

 

This isn’t about how many people we are going to let into our borders, it’s about how many people we are willing to let die on our watch. We cannot ignore this crisis. As a nation, there is no denying that we have contributed to the conditions in Syria that these people are fleeing from. We abhor the Daesh cult, the very people these refugees are fleeing from. Winter is coming – the conditions will grow worse and the body count will grow higher. Our humanity is at risk. We must do more. And we know exactly what we must do.

 

I’m asking you to embody our nation’s best values and show that we are indeed the “land of the free and the home of the brave,” that we can be counted on to be a global and moral leader during difficult times, and that we remain worthy of being the subject of Emma Lazarus’ poem, The New Collasus, which is featured prominently within the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty.

 

….

“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

 

Sincerely,

Signature:                                                                            

Printed Name:                                                                     

Your Address:                                                                                                                                             

                                                                                                                                   

Your Phone No.:                                                                 

 

Party Leadership Contact

After that, you can call the Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress.

House Republican leadership: http://conginst.org/house-republican-leadership/

House Democratic leadership: http://conginst.org/house-democratic-leadership-positions/

Senate Republican leadership: http://conginst.org/senate-republican-leadership-positions/

Senate Democratic leadership: http://conginst.org/senate-republican-leadership-positions/Then call the Chair and Ranking members of the following committees: Appropriations, Armed Services, Foreign Relations, Judiciary, and Homeland Security. More info here: https://www.congress.gov/committees Click on links to get to specific committee pages.If you feel so inclined, ask them to increase the amount of refugees resettled here in the U.S.Type in your address and search.After that, you can call the

Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress.

House Republican leadership: http://conginst.org/house-republican-leadership/

House Democratic leadership: http://conginst.org/house-democratic-leadership-positions/

Senate Republican leadership: http://conginst.org/senate-republican-leadership-positions/

Senate Democratic leadership: http://conginst.org/senate-republican-leadership-positions/ call the Chair and Ranking members of the following committees: Appropriations, Armed Services, Foreign Relations, Judiciary, and Homeland Security. More info here: https://www.congress.gov/committees Click on links to get to specific committee pages.If you feel so inclined, ask them to increase the amount of refugees resettled here in the U.S.Type in your address and search.After that, you can call the Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress.

House Republican leadership: http://conginst.org/house-republican-leadership/

House Democratic leadership: http://conginst.org/house-democratic-leadership-positions/

Senate Republican leadership: http://conginst.org/senate-republican-leadership-positions/

Senate Democratic leadership: http://conginst.org/senate-republican-leadership-positions/ call the Chair and Ranking members of the following committees: Appropriations, Armed Services, Foreign Relations, Judiciary, and Homeland Security. More info here: https://www.congress.gov/committees Click on links to get to specific committee pages.If you feel so inclined, ask them to increase the amount of refugees resettled here in the U.S.Type in your address and search.After that, you can call the Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress.
House Republican leadership: http://conginst.org/house-republican-leadership/
House Democratic leadership: http://conginst.org/house-democratic-leadership-positions/
Senate Republican leadership: http://conginst.org/senate-republican-leadership-positions/
Senate Democratic leadership: http://conginst.org/senate-republican-leadership-positions/ call the Chair and Ranking members of the following committees: Appropriations, Armed Services, Foreign Relations, Judiciary, and Homeland Security. More info here: https://www.congress.gov/committees Click on links to get to specific committee pages.If you feel so inclined, ask them to increase the amount of refugees resettled here in the U.S.